SUMMARY
The Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe 256GB mobile features a 5.7 inches (14.48 cm), Full HD, 386 PPI, Super AMOLED display and runs on Android v6.0 (Marshmallow) operating system. The device is powered by a Quad core (2.15 GHz, Dual core, Kryo + 1.6 GHz, Dual core, Kryo) processor paired with 6 GB of RAM. As far as the battery is concerned it has 3000 mAh, Quick Charging 3.0, USB Type-C port. Over that, as far as the rear camera is concerned this mobile has a sensor and the front snapper is powered by a sensor.MARKET STATUS:AVAILABLEMRP:₹ 62,999CRITIC REVIEW
Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) review: Screams ‘Premium’
NEW DELHI: Earlier this year, amid much fanfare, Asus announced the arrival of its most expensive smartphone - Zenfone 3 Deluxe, in India. At the time of the handset's India launch, Asus India chief Peter Chang asserted the fact that the device was crafted for a niche audience who truly understood the importance of premium features like 6GB RAM, 256GB internal storage and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC, all meant for heavy usage.
This year, Asus seems to have overpriced almost all of the devices in its Zenfone 3 lineup. And with the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, the company has properly entered the 'premium' segment for the first time.
The company claims that the Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL), bearing a price tag of Rs 62,999, is not only the finest in design but also a beast when it comes to performance. So can the Zenfone 3 Deluxe disrupt the Indian premium smartphone market or is it far from achieving ubiquity? Let's find out.
Design and display
There are no two ways when we talk about the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. You'll either love it or hate it. The front panel has a large 5.7-inch display, a front-facing camera with sensors on top and the three usual capacitive buttons at the bottom, which fortunately are backlit.
Except for the Ultra and the Deluxe, no other smartphone in the Zenfone 3 series comes with backlit capacitive buttons. Not even the flagship Zenfone 3.
The 'spun-metal' design, something Asus has been boasting in its products since the past few years, is visible only on top and bottom of the display in the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. The back panel sports a matte finish, which looks great, along with the 'diamond cut' chamfered edges running on all the four sides complementing the overall look.
Asus claims that the Zenfone 3 Deluxe "is the world's first smartphone with an aluminum alloy unibody featuring an invisible-antenna design." The company calls this 'PureMetal' technology.
The rear camera, fingerprint sensor, autofocus sensor and the dual-tone LED flash all look decent. The 'diamond cut' shining metal rims surround the fingerprint sensor and the slightly bulging camera module. A single speaker is at the bottom along with a USB Type-C port, while the 3.5mm headphone jack sits on top. The single speaker was loud enough during our testing, especially after we tweaked the sound output using the pre-installed Asus AudioWizard app.
The handset balances perfectly in the hand but can be slippery at times. The look and feel scream premium from all angles, at least for the Sand Gold unit we received. Also, it is impressively lightweight at 170g, unlike some other clunky competitors.
Coming to the display, the smartphone sports a 5.7-inch Full HD Super Amoled display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The display looks great, with better colour saturation than others in the class. The handset has a 79% screen-to-body ratio with 1.3mm side bezels. However, there's an extra bezel which can be seen when the display is switched on.
With 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio and Asus' home-brewed Tru2Life technology, the display looks vibrant and bright enough in sufficiently-lit situations. Like other Asus handsets, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe also has a Bluelight filter and other modes to tweak the display colours, through the 'Splendid' app.
Unfortunately, even at the high price point, it has a Full HD display instead of a Quad HD panel. This might put the device in a bad light, giving many a reason not to spend Rs 62,999. With high-end specifications like Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, 6GB RAM and 23MP rear camera, including a full-HD resolution display was the least we expected from Asus.
Performance and camera
Performance, as one would expect, is flawless with the Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe. The smartphone has the most powerful mobile processor available in the market right now - the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, clubbed with 6GB of RAM. Even heavy users won't get a chance to complain about the performance of the device or about its glitchy and stuttering functions.
We ran over 15 applications at once on the smartphone and it flew across all of them. Whether it's Adobe Lightroom or any graphic-heavy game, the smartphone doesn't show the slightest signs of lag. Scrolling through apps, navigating through app menu and everything else is snappy as well.
Asus' native OptiFlex technology takes care of the massive 6GB RAM. The technology lets the smartphone launch apps more quickly than usual. Although the difference won't be visible in the first go, you might notice it after you work on an app for some time and switch to a different smartphone. Unfortunately, you can only choose up to 10 apps that you want to speed up.
There are no heating issues whatsoever either. Viewing videos for hours, playing games for long sessions or even keeping it on charge for excess amount of time doesn't affect the temperature of the handset. The gaming performance is handled well, thanks to the Adreno 530 GPU.
We also noticed that at any given point while using the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, there's always around 2GB RAM left unused, which leaves us with the question that what's exactly the use of packing 6GB RAM in a smartphone?
Nevertheless, it also makes the Zenfone 3 Deluxe world's first smartphone to carry a combo of 6GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. Talking about the internal storage, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe actually offers 227GB of storage space as the rest is reserved for the OS and the other files. Although the system files eat nearly 30GB of space, 227GB is still enough to install anything, literally!
As for the OS, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. Like we've said before for other Zenfone devices, the UI is no rocket science and easy to understand. And yes, the bloatware is still there in the form of apps like Puffin browser, Zen Talk and more. However, there are also some useful apps like the Zen Battery saver and Performance app.
The fingerprint sensor works flawlessly, most of the times. Your fingers would naturally fall on the sensor when holding the smartphone, thanks to its comfortable placement. The sensor can recognize up to 5 fingerprints at a time and is claimed to be able to unlock the smartphone in 0.2 seconds. It is also integrated with multiple applications.
Camera is one of the highlights of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. Asus claims its latest smartphone is the world's first to sport a Sony IMX318 sensor. It is also the first in the Zenfone 3 line-up to come with a 23MP camera. The images shot from the 23MP rear camera are really crisp and detailed. Colour reproduction is near original when in HDR mode.
Talking about modes, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, like its siblings, has several modes such as the Manual mode, Beautification, HDR Pro, Super Resolution, Low Light, Depth of Field, Night and more. The camera megapixel count however, limits to 5MP when shooting in Low Light mode.
We could feel the handset getting slightly warm while shooting videos in 4K resolution for couple of minutes. Besides shooting in 4K, you have the option to shoot in Full-HD (normal and 60fps), HD or at TV (640x480 resolution). Object focusing while shooting video worked impressively as well. Even OIS and EIS work just fine.
The 23MP rear comes with f/2.0 aperture, which is not the best but good enough for casual clickers. The HDR mode, however, takes a second to click multiple shots and combine them into one. Phase Detection autofocusing is quick and you won't find any issues while using the continuous autofocus.
This year, Asus seems to have overpriced almost all of the devices in its Zenfone 3 lineup. And with the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, the company has properly entered the 'premium' segment for the first time.
The company claims that the Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL), bearing a price tag of Rs 62,999, is not only the finest in design but also a beast when it comes to performance. So can the Zenfone 3 Deluxe disrupt the Indian premium smartphone market or is it far from achieving ubiquity? Let's find out.
Design and display
There are no two ways when we talk about the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. You'll either love it or hate it. The front panel has a large 5.7-inch display, a front-facing camera with sensors on top and the three usual capacitive buttons at the bottom, which fortunately are backlit.
Except for the Ultra and the Deluxe, no other smartphone in the Zenfone 3 series comes with backlit capacitive buttons. Not even the flagship Zenfone 3.
The 'spun-metal' design, something Asus has been boasting in its products since the past few years, is visible only on top and bottom of the display in the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. The back panel sports a matte finish, which looks great, along with the 'diamond cut' chamfered edges running on all the four sides complementing the overall look.
Asus claims that the Zenfone 3 Deluxe "is the world's first smartphone with an aluminum alloy unibody featuring an invisible-antenna design." The company calls this 'PureMetal' technology.
The rear camera, fingerprint sensor, autofocus sensor and the dual-tone LED flash all look decent. The 'diamond cut' shining metal rims surround the fingerprint sensor and the slightly bulging camera module. A single speaker is at the bottom along with a USB Type-C port, while the 3.5mm headphone jack sits on top. The single speaker was loud enough during our testing, especially after we tweaked the sound output using the pre-installed Asus AudioWizard app.
The handset balances perfectly in the hand but can be slippery at times. The look and feel scream premium from all angles, at least for the Sand Gold unit we received. Also, it is impressively lightweight at 170g, unlike some other clunky competitors.
Coming to the display, the smartphone sports a 5.7-inch Full HD Super Amoled display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The display looks great, with better colour saturation than others in the class. The handset has a 79% screen-to-body ratio with 1.3mm side bezels. However, there's an extra bezel which can be seen when the display is switched on.
With 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio and Asus' home-brewed Tru2Life technology, the display looks vibrant and bright enough in sufficiently-lit situations. Like other Asus handsets, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe also has a Bluelight filter and other modes to tweak the display colours, through the 'Splendid' app.
Unfortunately, even at the high price point, it has a Full HD display instead of a Quad HD panel. This might put the device in a bad light, giving many a reason not to spend Rs 62,999. With high-end specifications like Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, 6GB RAM and 23MP rear camera, including a full-HD resolution display was the least we expected from Asus.
Performance and camera
Performance, as one would expect, is flawless with the Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe. The smartphone has the most powerful mobile processor available in the market right now - the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, clubbed with 6GB of RAM. Even heavy users won't get a chance to complain about the performance of the device or about its glitchy and stuttering functions.
We ran over 15 applications at once on the smartphone and it flew across all of them. Whether it's Adobe Lightroom or any graphic-heavy game, the smartphone doesn't show the slightest signs of lag. Scrolling through apps, navigating through app menu and everything else is snappy as well.
Asus' native OptiFlex technology takes care of the massive 6GB RAM. The technology lets the smartphone launch apps more quickly than usual. Although the difference won't be visible in the first go, you might notice it after you work on an app for some time and switch to a different smartphone. Unfortunately, you can only choose up to 10 apps that you want to speed up.
Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe 256GB | VS | Google Pixel XL 128GB |
| Quad core (2.15 GHz, Dual Core + 1.6 GHz, Dual core), Snapdragon 821, 6 GB RAM | PERFORMANCE | Quad core (2.15 GHz, Dual Core + 1.6 GHz, Dual core), Snapdragon 821, 4 GB RAM |
| 5.7 inches (14.48 cm), Full HD, 386 PPI, Super AMOLED | DISPLAY | 5.5 inches (13.97 cm), QHD (2k), 534 PPI, AMOLED |
| 256 GB | STORAGE | 128 GB |
| 23 MP Primary Camera, Dual-color LED Flash, 8 MP Front Camera | CAMERA | 12.3 MP Primary Camera, Dual LED Flash, 8 MP Front Camera |
| 3000 mAh, Quick Charging 3.0, USB Type-C port | BATTERY | 3450 mAh, Fast Charging, USB Type-C port |
| 6 GB | RAM | 4 GB |
There are no heating issues whatsoever either. Viewing videos for hours, playing games for long sessions or even keeping it on charge for excess amount of time doesn't affect the temperature of the handset. The gaming performance is handled well, thanks to the Adreno 530 GPU.
We also noticed that at any given point while using the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, there's always around 2GB RAM left unused, which leaves us with the question that what's exactly the use of packing 6GB RAM in a smartphone?
Nevertheless, it also makes the Zenfone 3 Deluxe world's first smartphone to carry a combo of 6GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. Talking about the internal storage, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe actually offers 227GB of storage space as the rest is reserved for the OS and the other files. Although the system files eat nearly 30GB of space, 227GB is still enough to install anything, literally!
As for the OS, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. Like we've said before for other Zenfone devices, the UI is no rocket science and easy to understand. And yes, the bloatware is still there in the form of apps like Puffin browser, Zen Talk and more. However, there are also some useful apps like the Zen Battery saver and Performance app.
The fingerprint sensor works flawlessly, most of the times. Your fingers would naturally fall on the sensor when holding the smartphone, thanks to its comfortable placement. The sensor can recognize up to 5 fingerprints at a time and is claimed to be able to unlock the smartphone in 0.2 seconds. It is also integrated with multiple applications.
Camera is one of the highlights of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. Asus claims its latest smartphone is the world's first to sport a Sony IMX318 sensor. It is also the first in the Zenfone 3 line-up to come with a 23MP camera. The images shot from the 23MP rear camera are really crisp and detailed. Colour reproduction is near original when in HDR mode.
Talking about modes, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, like its siblings, has several modes such as the Manual mode, Beautification, HDR Pro, Super Resolution, Low Light, Depth of Field, Night and more. The camera megapixel count however, limits to 5MP when shooting in Low Light mode.
We could feel the handset getting slightly warm while shooting videos in 4K resolution for couple of minutes. Besides shooting in 4K, you have the option to shoot in Full-HD (normal and 60fps), HD or at TV (640x480 resolution). Object focusing while shooting video worked impressively as well. Even OIS and EIS work just fine.
The 23MP rear comes with f/2.0 aperture, which is not the best but good enough for casual clickers. The HDR mode, however, takes a second to click multiple shots and combine them into one. Phase Detection autofocusing is quick and you won't find any issues while using the continuous autofocus.
The Zenfone 3 Deluxe is backed by a 3,000mAh battery. But don't go by the numbers as the smartphone can easily run for a day before switching off. Of course, that is for regular users. Heavy users might need to charge it once more before the day ends.
The non-removable battery also supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology, which is claimed to charge the handset by 60% in 39 minutes. Play games for long sessions or record 4K resolution videos for few minutes, and you'll see the battery drain faster.
You can stretch the battery life of the the Zenfone 3 Deluxe more if you turn on the Power Saver mode. You can choose between 5 options - Performance, Normal, Power Saving, Super Saving and Customized. While the Performance mode unleashes the handset's power to its fullest for best experience, the Normal mode works on default smartphone settings. The other three are pretty self explanatory.
Yes the Zenfone 3 Deluxe runs for almost a day but we would still like to crown the Zenfone 3 Max as the best in the series when it comes to battery life.
Verdict
With the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, Asus has devised a full-fledged plan to enter the premium market, something we never would've thought until few months back. Although the Taiwanese tech company is taking baby steps in this particular segment, it has managed to bring a worthy smartphone. Those who loved the Zenfone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL but are not willing to spend Rs 62,999, can buy the ZS550KL model with Rs 49,999. The lower-priced model comes with less powerful cameras, SoC and few other changes.
But if budget is not a limitation for you and if you are a diehard Asus fan, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is the smartphone you would want to buy. While the design, processing power and camera are its strong points, the display and the battery are just about average. Asus could've at least used a Quad HD panel in the handset.
But who doesn't like options? OnePlus 3T is a way cheaper alternative to the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. It has a better display, same processor, same RAM and good camera features. You can also go for the Google Pixel XL for purest/latest Android experience, great camera, same processor and a good battery life. In case you want to switch to iOS, the iPhone 7 is the best and only option.
ASUS ZENFONE 3 DELUXE 256GB SPECIFICATIONS
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